Add Understanding and Let Rise

If I could write the recipe for a happier life, I'd put in a big dose of the one most important ingredient there is; the one thing that is actually the most helpful thing you can ever have: understanding the human. 

This is what I talked about on the show January 27th

I want to suggest that if, in your life you are not operating to your fullest capacities, it can be very helpful to know where good ideas live.  

• If your career, relationships, or projects tend to get derailed easily, it's helpful to understand where human resiliency is found. 
• If the misbehavior of those around you gets under your skin and disturbs your peace of mind don't you agree it would be helpful to understand why it is you come unglued?

This is the kind of understanding I'm talking about: understanding the inside mechanisms and what they have to do with how you feel in your life. 

The Case For Misunderstanding Is Everywhere

The other day I was reading an article that was making the strong argument that workplaces ARE, by nature, inherently stressful. The article was saying that offices have challenging things happening and stressed people in them (which is true) but then it asserted that although people have some internal control over stress, "the workplace itself is at the root of most employee stress."

Your own common sense will show you, if you seek to understand the roots of stress, that there is no stress living in "offices." There are chairs and desks and people.  Other people exhibit stress, for sure, but it's not a virus. You can't catch it when they stress-sneeze on you.  

In fact, you've had plenty of days when despite a hornet's nest of worried co-workers buzzing all around you, you maintained your equilibrium and were fine.  

If you are going to deal with stress, tension and the often disturbed behaviors of others on a permanent basis aren't you curious to understand how you managed  that day of resiliency -- when what we read indicates you shouldn't be able to? If outside things are causing inside reactions why are there exceptions?

Understanding that seems to me like the answer to everything. The universal panacea. 
 
Or would you rather keep trying to take the stress out of the office ...? Because, like world peace, we haven't really got a handle on that one yet either!